Part 1: Due 3/24/2022

Discussion: Social Change and Women’s Health and Well-Being

A young girl, aged 5, whose basic needs are met, experiences an uninhibited sense of self. Confidence and curiosity permeate her orientation to the world and her place in it. Her body is not a burden and her mind and spirit are united. Unfortunately, that confidence, positive body image, and positive sense of self can diminish as she grows up.

What are the factors that cause this perception of self to change over time? What images, words, laws, social norms, and experiences present barriers to maintaining a healthy sense of self? In this week’s Discussion, you explore connections between self-concept and health and well-being and how these connections reflect an awareness of and/or a need for social change.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Consider all that you have read of Ensler and Dove for social change themes related to women’s health and well-being.
• Review the V-Day website in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider its mission, the four core beliefs, and its long-term mission, particularly with regard to women’s health and well-being.
• What connections are possible between Ensler’s V-day (women’s empowerment day) and the idea of the next generation depicted in Dove’s poem?
• How do body awareness and self-concept relate to social change?
• What progress has been made across generations with regard to women’s health and well-being?

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 3

Post a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of how Ensler’s and Dove’s ideas provide insights into social change themes related to women’s health and well-being experience.

Resources:

https://www.vday.org/

http://inthebodyoftheworld.com/pdf/EveEnsler-InTheBodyOfTheWorld-Excerpt.pdf

Part 2: Due 3/25/2022

Assignment: Women’s Health and Well-Being Experienced Through Literature

For this Assignment, you take on the role of a literary critic. The job of the critic is to read, question, and dissect the technical and substantive elements of a work of literature to gauge quality, effectiveness, and ability to convey information. Imagine, for the sake of this activity, that you are writing an article for a literary magazine on the short stories of two notable female authors. Your article provides an evaluation of each story’s ability to convey perspective on women’s health and well-being.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review characteristics of a short story in the “Glossary of Terms and Techniques for Literature and Creative Writing” document located in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Define health and well-being. Do these terms have different meanings to different people?
• Compare and contrast depictions of physical and psychological health and well-being in the stories of Gilman and Chopin.
• Consider how the authors convey their perspectives on health and well-being.

The Assignment:

• Write a 2-page analysis of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” on women’s experiences of physical and psychological health and well-being. Explain how your own definition of health and well-being can be applied to each piece.

Note: Do not write a biography of Gilman’s or Chopin’s personal experiences. Instead, write an analysis of their writing using the techniques you have practiced in previous weeks.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the use of literary techniques in each author’s story. Using literary terms, provide explanations for why it is or is not well written.

Resources:

https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=39b589bd-4eb8-4c70-9d64-66ab3b8b3497%40redis&ppid=pp_259&vid=0&format=EB

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/waldenu/reader.action?docID=3026906&ppg=47

https://www.ronnowpoetry.com/contents/dove/AfterReading.html